All Things Android - Apps, Phones, Tablets - Discussion

When the Galaxy S III and Note 2 came out, they were like 700-750 unlocked, I suppose 800+ isn't completely unreasonable, but wow dang. Makes me glad I paid only 380 shipped for my Nexus 4 lol.

You really think the Z will be sold for 200? The GS3 16 GB is 380 on contract with T-Mobile...

 

T-Mobile USA is kind of an odd duck because their Android lineup isn't as robust as AT&T's. Other than the Galaxy S III, Note II and the Nexus 4 if you can find a store that actually carries it on hand, they really don't have anything appealing at all. This allows them to charge out the backside if they get a flagship device, such as the Note II.

AT&T has some handsets that competes with each other directly, so other than the Note II, it's more difficult to price them out of the norm from the others such as the Galaxy S III, Optimus G, and the One X+. Even their so-called "budget" phone selections are nice and can compete directly with the more expensive models, such examples being the Xperia TL, Pantech Discover and the original One X.

 

See, over here you can get a 64GB White iPhone 5, Apple Refurbished, for $749... OFF-CONTRACT.

 

T-Mobile doesn't have a huge selection period.

Yeah I didn't realize how HUGE of a selection AT&T had, jeez. I was looking at AT&T when I wanted to switch from Verizon, but 120 a month for unlimited (not even including phone insurance) was too much.

 

If T-Mobile used the same UMTS and LTE bands as AT&T, I would be with them. It's just too fun to troll AT&T and my Good Mobile administrator when they can't identify an international device.

 

$750 for something that's already gone faulty once isn't exactly a bargain.
Especially with a 12 month warranty.

But that's exactly what I'd expect - electronics companies, particularly American ones, seem to feel that shafting customers in the UK is some kind of sport.

 

"Refurbished" doesn't always mean "faulty".

It could have been a customer return of a completely fine phone.

It's a practice that is done by many companies in the states, TVs, phones, computers etc... it's not a sport... it's an acceptable way to not waste products and help consumers save money.

 

A list of new devices headed to the Japanese NTTDoCoMo carrier has been leaked and includes the LG Optimus G Pro and the Xperia Tablet Z.

If I'm not mistaken this is the second phone we see with the APQ8064 SoC clocked at 1.7GHz (first being the ZTE Grand S). Hopefully they know what they're doing from a thermal standpoint. It's good to see that they've chosen a larger 3000mAh battery, even if the phone ends up a bit thicker. Unfortunately there's no mention of a microSD slot nor is there anything pointing towards LG using their own AH-IPS panel.

Engadget on the Optimus G Pro

 

So after using my Nexus 4 for a couple days, chatting on Steam, streaming some videos during my lunch break, checking emails I get to like 30% in 10.5 hours. Biggest killer is the screen.

 

They haven't. It's 1.7GHz of the same thing the regular APQ8064 is made of...and actually, I really don't know why these OEM's are jacking up the clocks. My Nexus at 1.28GHz is no different than it is at 1.5GHz. It's just something to put on the spec list. APQ8064 is plenty capable of pushing 1080p at stock 1.5GHz, or even 1.2GHz.

I've been downclocking mine and it's making a decent difference. I haven't tested the exact battery life yet, but it gets me through an entire day quite comfortably.

 

So maybe Sammy won't call it a "phablet" (because of LG)... but looks like they might call it a "Fonblet":

Samsung Galaxy Fonblet rumor: 5.8-inch display | BGR

 

Nexus 7 surpasses iPad's market share in Japan | Digital Trends

Thoughts?

 

Not too surprising. Apple devices doesn't do as well in Asia due to their noticeably higher price than their competitors. The Europeans don't seem to care about Apple products in general for some reason.

 

LOL. They really don't. I really thought the Asian population liked the Apple products better though. Japan was a high-priority market for Apple, I thought. And so was China.

 

Say that to China, where Apple marketshare has exploded in the past 5 years and keeps on rapidly expanding.

How does one do that without blowing up my phone?

 

Just flash a custom kernel and use Voltage Control.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.darekxan.voltagecontrol&hl=en

(Or if you're using Faux123's kernel, use Faux's app in the Play Store. Or the Performance menu on CM 10.1.)

 

Do I need to do the same thing with my Blaze 4G and flash Clockwerkmod then flash custom ROM? I don't want to break my new phone. ;w;

 

Most definitely due to influences from Taiwan (ASUS), so Japan and rest of Asia is slowly being absorbed by the news.

Indeed. EU was all about Apple. Now it's all about Samsung and Sony. I rarely see HTC, and after x-mas, there has been a wave of Sony's in my school. Xperia Miro mostly.

Except for France. They're ALL in the Apple bubble. Some GSIII outlaws here and there, but there's a lot of iDevices, no doubt about it.

In other news... The Samsung Galaxy S IV Confirmed To Carry An Exynos 5 Octa Processor | | DroidDog Android BlogDroidDog Android Blog

 

Those with the Nexus 4:

Check which hardware revision you have. Rev 11 is better than rev 10. Longer battery for sure.

 

Except when it doesn't

Apple's market share in China sliced in half during Q2

Apple's Market Share In China Shrinks - Business Insider

Got any figures to back up those claims?
I suspect you'll find that Apple isn't nearly as unpopular as the two of you make out.

 

Got no figures ATM unfortunately, but I remember reading Android dominating EU pretty fast. Also, those mentions on Sony and Samsung are from my own sight and device popularity in the country. Paris was full of Note 2 ads, including a giant Note II billboard with a real magnified S-Pen.

 

That's a very different matter to the success of individual manufacturers, which is what you were referring to previously when commenting on Samsung and Sony.

Samsung are clearly top of the pile but I'd be shocked if Sony were anywhere near Apple in terms of sales.

 

Not saying that Sony is anywhere near Apple. It's not, most definitely. But what I'm saying is that Sony is gaining terrain, and it doesn't seem to be stopping. I have at least 5 friends that got a new Sony Xperia Miro, TL, etc, and they're VERY happy with them. I'm expecting more and more people to think that way.

Now, about the Note 2... I have to say, this is a device that can't be topped (for now). It's fast, and it's not that big as people like to say. I can easily manipulate it single-handedly while on the bus (Madeirian bus to be exact, and I think we all know how lousy the terrain here is, thus the terrible bus rides) without any worries of it dropping. The Wolfson DAC has a hell of a lot of punch in volume and sound quality. Camera is absolutely fantastic. S Note is super handy (I use it as an everyday notebook). Screen is top notch. This thing is just brilliant. I still can't find any flaw!

 

Apple Raises Market Share to 53%, Ousting Android from Top Spot

Not as bad as I thought.

On a side note, the A6X is much more suited for the Retina iPad. This thing is NICE.

 

Most likely at HTC's expense, not Apple's.


As for the countries in which Samsung are number one, the UK is definitely one of them.

 

Yesterday an eBay auction popped up for 26 purple Xperia Z phones. There was no mention of this being a pre-order like the other auction that's been there a while, so I figured I'd ask if this guy would be able to ship them any sooner than the first days of March like most other resellers seem to estimate. The reply I got was somewhat amusing.

The auction was taken down rather quickly. Funny thing is, this email wasn't sent at once even though its contents seem to suggest the reply was automated.

 

I'm surprised you needed a message like that for alarm bells to start sounding.

 

Oh, my alarm bells were set off way before that. The whole thing looked extremely fishy and I wasn't interested in buying the product to begin with. It's something I did out of boredom.

 

I got offered a free press pass for MWC
But I can't go because I'm on holiday

Also, some of the hints/rumours I'm hearing through work about what's coming soon... ooft.

 

I have a rev10. But I have a faster binned CPU, so lower voltages. I guess it works out even.

 

Sony's Xperia Tablet Z announced: 1.5GHz quad-core, 10.1-inch 1,920 x 1,200 screen and 6.9mm thickness

For those of us that have issues converting grams to pounds, this tablet's weighing right at 1.1 lbs. Sony Mobile is really making a good impression this year.

 

ok i need a coupon code for that Tablet Z !!!

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't there another Sony tablet between the S the article mentions and this one, one that never reached the market because they messed up the waterproofing?

 

You're referring to the Xperia Tablet S. It was briefly pulled from the market for waterproofing concerns but it's still available for sale. I had one for a short time but the WiFi was flaky, which apparently has been resolved with a firmware update. Even with the Tegra 3, it was a pretty nice device.

 

Maybe that was just over here then, I remember some of the stores I work with talking about it then nothing ever happened.

 

my note 2 has been frustrating me the past few days..

- The notification light starts blinking for no apparent reason. I swipe down the menu (no notifications) and it stops blinking.
- When typing, the cursor likes to jump around. I've got no screen protector, have cleaned of any possible smudges, and it does it in both portrait and landscape. I'm not sure what's going on with that but it's really annoying.
- When typing on websites, for instance searching on amazon.com, nothing types. the keyboard recognizes my letters, but they dont register on the site. This also happens randomly.

 

Which browser are you using? Are you using the stock Samsung keyboard, or a replacement?

 

I'm using the standard browser.. And Swiftkey flow beta.. I haven't had issues with them before this past week though.

I suppose I could switch and see if it's one of those things causing the issue as it does seem like software issues.

 

So I would like a tablet ~7" probably no more than 200...am I only looking at the Nexus 7 or the Tab 2? I don't really fancy the Kindle Fire/Amazon..

 

Acer Iconia A110 would be a decent choice. If you're using the tablet for internet browsing and media consumption, the BlackBerry Playbooks are fantastic bargains to be had for under $200.

 

The notification light starts blinking for no reason when it fails to load quick glance in time, so it glitches out. A reboot fixes it. No idea why it happens tho.

The cursor, you mean with the S Pen?

And about typing, it's realted to Android and website rendering, you can't do anything about that.

 

I've had a notification pop up a few times says that the quick glance process failed, but I notice the light blinking when the phone is sitting on the table by itself also.

It happens both with and without the S pen.

That's... annoying. But it is what it is i guess.

 

That pop up never appeared to me tho, it just gets delayed a bit for me. It sometimes triggers and bugs quick glance almost by itself, because it's quite sensitive and the minimum of movement triggers it.

In what case scenarios? Also, what ROM do you have atm?

 

It'd be worth waiting to see what MWC brings.

 

If you HAVE to get one now... the Tab 2 or the Tab Plus... mainly because of the SD card and the IR functionality to act as a remote. But like Step666 says, if you can wait... you should see what MWC brings.

 

So Tab Plus is faster than Tab 2...but its older? How did something like that happen?

 

I would only consider a Nexus tablet. Simply because they are guaranteed to get software updates.

 

Tab 2.0 and Tab Plus have 4.0, and they seem to have decent dev support. I'm still kinda weary about ASUS being the OEM of the Nexus 7 is why I am even considering the Tab 2 which is inferior specwise.

 

My Tab 2 has Jellybean... 4.1.1... just got the OTA last week.

It's behind since 4.2 is out but even though Samsung is slow, they do roll out the updates. 4.1 is much better than 4.0.

Samsung is rumored to be coming out with an even cheaper 7":

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 rumor: New 7-inch tablet may undercut Nexus 7 | BGR

I think if they just did a Tab 3 7" with 1280x800 or 1440x900 (or my wishful thinking 1920x1080) and kept it at $199 (or lower)... I would buy it.

 

Because Samsung pushes out products left and right, sometimes not even thinking about which of their own products they're stepping on top of.

Tab Plus = Exynos 4210
Tab 2 = OMAP 4430

OMAP has a slower GPU at 2D composition and it can make the UI feel slow if the hardware isn't be used right... 4.1.1 seems to include Project Butter support, which is new for Samsung.